


I Find a Balance in the Middle of the Chaos

by PepperSoniRoni



Series: Batfam Whumptober 2020 [2]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Cassandra Cain Needs a Hug, Cassandra Cain Whump, Gen, Hurt Cassandra Cain, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Light Angst, Manhandling, Not quite whump?, Whumptober 2020, oh well
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:42:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26779075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PepperSoniRoni/pseuds/PepperSoniRoni
Summary: Cassandra is kidnapped as a Wayne for the first time. Knowing Bruce would want her to stay out and wait for help, she doesn't fight back. However, this reminds her of when she couldn't fight, and Cass finds herself hating the helplessness. As she is being manhandled and used for ransom, she fears being unable to fight back.
Relationships: Cassandra Cain & Dick Grayson, Stephanie Brown & Cassandra Cain
Series: Batfam Whumptober 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1950187
Comments: 4
Kudos: 53
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	I Find a Balance in the Middle of the Chaos

**Author's Note:**

> So I wanted to write something for Cass, ‘cause there’s really not enough hurt/comfort out there for her. Lot’s of people portray her as perfect, and I get it, she’s Cassandra Cain, and absolutely awesome, but I think it takes away from her character to assume she’s confident 24/7. Not sure if I did her credit here, but the intent is still there.
> 
> Title from Zero by Imagine Dragons
> 
> Where did the humor come from? You’ll never know. 
> 
> TW: Referenced child abuse (Cass briefly remembers Cain. Nothing graphic)

Cass smiled at the stray cat walking by the café where she was currently enjoying coffee with Dick and Steph. It was small and a bit scrappy, but still had a beautiful blue-gray coat. She briefly considered hunting it down and bringing it back for Damian, knowing not even Bruce could say no to her. But she decided against it, wanting to stay and enjoy her afternoon. They were almost done, anyway.

“And then Jason announced he was gonna run away to vegas and become a stripper!”

Cassandra turned back to where Dick had just finished a rousing tail of the dangers of a high Jason todd. Stephanie snorted out her tea, and even Cass gave a little smile.

“You give him pointers?” She asked. It was an inside joke with the family to call Dick a stripper. It was made worse when it was revealed he could pole dance.

Dick’s eyes went wide, and Stephanie’s roaring laughter renewed. “I thought you were the good one!” He whisper-yelled, clearly shocked.

Cass smiled coyly at her older brother. “I am.”

Stephanie finally settled down enough to chokingly announce: “Not that Bruce knows!”

Dick frowned good naturedly. “Y’know,” he began, “there was a time when I was the favorite child.”

Cass nodded. “Then Jason came. Thank you both for saving my spot.”

Dick squawked, Steph cackled, Cassandra smirked into her coffee, and they went back to enjoying their day out. 

*****

It was twenty minutes later when Cass saw them. Three men in civilian clothes who had been following them from the coffee shop that they had left from a few minutes ago. Neither Dick nor Steph had noticed them, as they hadn’t interacted with each other. But Cass could tell.

“Wanna go to the movies next?” Steph asked, pointed to a theatre less than a block away.

Cass glanced back at the men, then towards the theatre. “Yes,” she said, “But hurry.”

Stephanie and Dick frowned at her before following Cass’s gaze.

“Oh crap,” her brother said before casually turning around. He grabbed Cass and Steph’s hands and began to lead them towards the theatre.

They had almost reached the doors when a large black van pulled up. The three men jumped forward and each grabbed their own Wayne. Stephanie managed to smack hers away with her purse - Cass was 87% sure she kept a brick in it at all times - and Dick elbowed his in the gut.

But there wasn’t much more they could do. Every Gotham vigilante knew better than to show off their fighting skills in public - sure some minor self defence skills were passable - and so the trio was at a loss.

Cass ducked under the arm of her attacker, but was caught off guard by Stephanie’s sudden shriek. She glanced over to find the man twisting her arm back. 

Cass’s own attacker took this as an opportunity to grab her around her waist. Cass could only watch helplessly as she was pulled into the van.

“Leave them, we have a girl!” the driver called, seeing Stephanie bite her attacker.

Dick was thrown to the ground, and Stephanie shoved into a store window right before a black hood was thrown over her head, and everything went black.

*****

Cass was very still on the chair she had been tied to; the hood still over her head. She had been brought in after about ten minutes of driving, before being dragged into some warehouse by the docks.

The hood wasn’t completely dark, allowing her to spot multiple exit strategies, and take in her surroundings. She could have escaped twenty-four different times at this point. Twice that if she took action in the next thirty seconds.

But she didn’t.

Cass knew what Bruce would want, she had sat through The (what to do if you’re kidnapped) Talk, of course. Cassandra knew what the protocol was.

Stay in place.

Be a good hostage.

Don’t fight back.

Wait for someone to come get you.

Normally, Cass would be perfectly fine with following protocol - she wasn’t Jason who did the exact opposite just to piss Bruce off. But this time … it was different. This time she was  _ anxious _ .

“We have the brat,” some thug called, “send the ransom demand.”

Cass bit her lip and strained her ears to pick up some snippets of conversation, but failed. There was a point, twenty minutes later, where she could have sworn she heard Bruce’s voice, but she was unable to pick out specific words.

And so she stewed, ignoring the bunching of her muscles, the intense urge to fight back and escape, to not be weak.

Suddenly, the hood was ripped off of her head. Cass blinked at the sudden brightness, her eyes taking a moment to focus on the pair of thugs before her.

“Head up, pretty thing,” one said, pulling a phone out of his pocket, “Your daddy wants proof of life.”

Cass raised her head - ‘be a good hostage’ ringing in her ears - and looked past the first man. His partner held the black hood, and had a distinct air of pity about him. Subtle, his fellow criminal not noticing. 

But,  _ oh _ .

That was it wasn’t it?

The pity.

Cassandra was thrown back, back to when that telepath had rerouted her brain. When she could speak. But no longer fight. She remembered the pity in Barbara’s eyes. Sure, the woman was excited that Cass could start to communicate, but the former batgirl had understood more than anyone the pain of being unable to protect. Bruce had been the same, hadn’t let her out.

She had felt so helpless then; so fundamentally  _ wrong  _ that it had hurt worse then Cain.

When she was with her father, she had known the expectations. There was never pity with David, only pain.

A flash showed in her eyes from the phone, and Cass winced. The hood was shoved back over her head, and the world was once again dark.

She’d lost her chance.

She hadn’t fought.

Cain would’ve berated her.

Perhaps Bruce would be proud.

Cass took this as comfort, trying to put the nervous tension in her bones out of her mind. This ‘following the rules’ became harder by the minute. In ten minutes, she was fighting down panic. Why was this so hard? Tim got kidnapped at least twice a month, Damian even more. Why couldn’t she handle this?

Cass took a shaky breath, licking her lips. She could do this. She would be strong. Not fighting was strong. She … she could do this.

Then she felt a body moving near her, and instantly tensed. Dozens of different tactics swirled through her mind. Stand up, break the chair and use the arms as escrima sticks. Dislocate her thumbs, slowly pull out of the restraints, and when someone comes close, aim for the nerve cluster in the right shoulder, sweep the leg. 

A part of her was always scared of what she could do, but now more than ever. Did she really have enough self-control to stop an attack?

She didn’t have a chance to answer herself, as sudden sounds flurried around the room. Sounds of fighting: punches making contact, grunts, screams, bodies hitting the floor.

“Cassandra Cain?” A gloved hand rested on Cass’s shoulder, but she didn’t lash out. She smiled.

The hood was gently lifted off of her head, and Cass looked into the masked face of her brother, Dick.

“Hi.” she said, eyes wide.

“Hey there, Miss. Let’s get you out of here, ‘kay?”

Cassandra looked past him to where Spoiler was dealing with the last of the thugs. She gave a relieved smile. “Okay, Nightwing.” 

Five minutes later Cass found herself wrapped in a shock blanket and sitting on the back of an ambulance. An officer had tried to get a statement out of her, but was quickly brushed off by the Commissioner. He was good friends with the Waynes, and consequently the only person Cass felt comfortable around at the moment. That was, until she heard a pair of familiar voices calling out from the crowd.

“Cass!” Stephanie shoved herself in front of Dick to wrap Cassandra in a tight hug. “Are you okay? We were so worried!”

“I’m fine,” she answered, giving a small smile. “Thank you.”

Steph did a conspiratorial wink before Dick stepped forward and wrapped her in a hug. “Hey sis,” he whispered in her ear, “you scared us.”

Cass shrugged. “Sorry.”

Dick shook his head. “Not your fault. You did the best you could. How about we head home and watch a movie? I’m proud of you.”

And that? That made this all worth it.

  
  



End file.
